Continental Realty Teams With Baltimore Nonprofit to Boost CRE Training
Urban Alliance Baltimore and its private sector partners aim to increase diversity in the industry’s skilled ranks
By Keith Loria December 26, 2023 10:39 am
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A joint venture between Continental Realty Corporation (CRC) and the nonprofit Urban Alliance Baltimore aims to bring opportunities in the commercial real estate industry to historically underrepresented populations.
The Baltimore-based commercial real estate and investment company has been hiring young people after they complete a six- to eight-week life and soft skills training program for internships and full-time employment made possible by the nonprofit.
Using funding from several sources — including Baltimore’s Promise, a citywide collaborative of public, business and community leaders, and its inaugural seed funder, the Pension Real Estate Association Foundation — Urban Alliance Baltimore has provided nearly 1,000 students in the Baltimore area with paid internships, as well as training for an additional 2,000 young people.
Chas Ackley, executive director of Urban Alliance Baltimore, said the organization wants to create a continuum of opportunities for Maryland’s younger residents while also aiding the state’s economy.
For instance, recent high school graduate Travis Robertson took classes that prepared him for training to manage a multifamily property, and was hired for a six-month internship position with CRC. That led to a full-time position at the company’s Courthouse Square apartment community in Towson earlier this year.
“Urban Alliance cared about me as a professional and as a person, and prepared me well for the day-to-day activities I would be expected to perform,” said Robertson, who now works as a maintenance technician with CRC. “They presented me with an amazing opportunity to work in a career I truly love and am passionate about. My entire perspective about life has changed, and I feel so fortunate to be in this position.”
CRC has hired four full-time employees and offered internships to close to 100 in the past few years.
It’s no secret that hiring trade positions in the multifamily industry has been a big challenge, and it’s one that CRC has faced even more since the pandemic.
With more than 9,000 apartments in 11 states, the company faces a constant challenge to recruit and retain talent to support its growing portfolio.
“There remains incredible competition for maintenance and technician professionals, due to the lack of young people interested in these careers, combined with the increased need for these skilled workers to service multifamily communities,” said Crystal Frey, the company’s senior vice president of human resources, who’s on the board of Urban Alliance Baltimore. “So, when we are introduced to this amazing program, which vets, trains, and thoroughly prepares people for immediate employment, it provides a significant boost to our employment initiatives.”
CRC will continue to partner with Urban Alliance in its search for highly trained professionals who are immediately employable and provide value to the company.
“Together, we can address systemic barriers to economic mobility and connect young adults to career opportunities,” Frey said. “We believe in constant education and training, because people always need to find ways to better themselves, learn new skills, and obtain different perspectives.”
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
